Plunger operating mechanism for wrapping machines



Nov. 1, 1932 w. B. BRONANDER PLUNGER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Aug. 19, 19:51

4 Sheets-Sheet l 'INVENTOR A ORNEY Nov. 1, 1932; w. B. BRONANDER 1,885,893

PLUNGER OPERATING uE'caANIsu FoR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Au 19; 193i 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W. B. BRONANDER Nov. 1, 1932. 1,885,893

PLUNGER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 19, 1951 .WWWH -6 w Nov. 1, 1932.

w. B. BRONANDER PLUNGER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Aug. 19. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 MQW MKW TQRN MRNJ a ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFics WILHELM IB. BRbNANflER, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN I MACHINE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, A CORPORATIOH OF NEW JERSEY PLUNGER OPERATING- MEGHAN'ISM FOR WRAPPING- MACHINES Application filed. August 19, 1931. Serial No. 558,135.

This invention relates to an improvement in wrapping machines, particularly to that type in WlllCh a wrapper is folded into the form of an open pouch on a hollow mandrelinto which the articles, such as cigarettes, are

inserted after the ouch is completed, thereby passing through the mandrel against the closed end of the pouch and stripping the latter from the mandrel. In this type of wrapping machines a number of such mandrels are attached to a revolving turret, and a plunger entering into the mandrel at the proper time, forms a temporary end Wall of the same while the end folds of the pouch are made.

Heretofore, the end folding operations took place at different stations of the turret, thus requiring a separate plun er for each mandrel. The plungers usual y were cam operated and followed themandrel while the for each mandrel of the turret, only three plun ers are required for any number of man rels, one for forming the end wall of themandrel at the station at which the end folds of the pouch are made and two additional plungers. at the two next following stations for keeping the endfolds of the pouch in compression to assure a good and, tight seal of the same. With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in view the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in he claims hereunto appended. In the improved operating mechanism, the

case is horizontal, it is possible to obtain on fying the machine. Instead of one plunger plungers are mounted on a slide which is con nected through a link to a swingable arm operated through a connecting rod by a revolving crank. By giving the connecting rod a greater length than the radius of the crank and by so disposing the operating members that the connecting rod at the end of its stroke is parallel with the direction of the motion of the plungers, which in this the vertical portion of the crank movement, a practical stand-still or dwell of the operat= ing arm and thereby also of the slide and the plungers, while on the horizontal .portions of the crank movement the arm moves the slide and plungers'with maximum speed which is desirable as at these points the plungers enter and leave a mandrel. In order to still further increase the duration of dwell of the end forming plunger by a desired amount, the latter is yieldingly mounted in its slide by'jmeans of an adjustable spring so that it will remain at rest against a stop near the end of its stroke while its slide moves on to the end of the forward-stroke. On the two fold compressing plungers, the springs are made somewhat heavier than on the fold forming plunger, as on these the springs have the additional function of causing the. plungers to press the freshly pasted end folds against rubber cushions for setting the seal.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved plunger operating mechanism; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, seen from line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the slide, taken on line 3'3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation showing one of the compressing plungers in operation; Fig. 5 is an end elevation of a 01'- tion of the turret, showing the'three stations at which the plungers are applied and Fig. 95 6 is a diagram of the motion of the plun er operating mechanism, showing the relation F of the operating members in difi'erent positions. j

In carrying the invention in to effect. 1%

there is provided a plurality of hollow mandrels mounted on a turret and adapted to have a pouch formed thereon, a slide, a plurality of plungers yieldingly mounted on the slide and means for reci rocatin the slide to move the plungers in-an out of t 1e mandrels. In the best form of construction one of the plungers is adapted to be engaged by a stop to produce a dwell in its motion when it closes the far end of its mandrel before the slide reaches the end of its forward stroke, and the other plungers are arranged to compress and seal the folded ends of the pouch formedover the closed end of the mandrel atthe preceding station of the turret. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore is not to be restricted to the specific construction shown and described.

Referrin to Figs. 1 and 2, the plunger operating mec anism is actuated from the mam drive of the wrapping machine by a shaft 10 mounted in a bearing bracket 11 supported on the base of the wrapping machine. On shaft 10 is mounted a disk crank 12 carrying a crank pin 13 on which is pivoted a connecting rod 14 connected to a swingable arm 15 by means of a stud 16. Arm 15 is loosely mounted on a shaft 17 sup orted by a bearing lug 18 of bracket 11 an by a bearing in main frame 19 of the wrapping machine. Arm 15, throu h a link 20, is connected to a slide 21 guide by slide bracket 22 mounted on the base of the machine.

Slide 21 is provided with bearings 23 and 24, Figs. 3 and 4, and has an arm 25 which carries another bearing 26. The bearings 23, 24 and 26 support the plungers 27, 28 and 29 and are equipped with guide disks 30 carrying guide pms 31 engaging slots in the plungers to prevent them from turning. In their bearings on the slide, the plungers 27, 28 and 29 are equipped with tension springs 32 adjustable bv nuts 33. The spring of plunger 29, which plun er is used to form an end wall of the mandrel while making the end fold of a pouch. serves the sole pur ose of regulating the dwell of the plunger, but the springs o plungers 27 and 28 are in addition used to exert a pressure on the plungers to hold the pasted end fold in place against a cushion while drying. The spring on plunger 29 may therefore be made lighter than those of plungers 27 and 23. On the forward movement of the slide 21, each of the plungers 27, 28 and 29 enters one of the hollow mandrels 34 carried by a turret 35 mounted on a shaft 36 driven in intermittent motion from the main drive of the machine. A wrapper W' is wrapped around the mandrel 34 when stopping at station I. this wrapper projecting beyond one end of the mandrel so that it ma be folded up to form the bottom of a pouc 1 surrounding the sides of the mandrel. In order to neatly make these end folds by means of the folders 37 provided at this station, the plan or 29 must be flush with the end of the man rel 34 at the proper time. To insure this correct position a lag 38, Fig. 3, carrying a stop plate 39 prevent-s plunger 29 from further forward movement when collar -10 of the plunger rests against stop plate 39. Any further movement of the slide is taken up by the spring 32 in plunger bearing 26. At the same time that the bottom folds are made against plunger 29 at station I, plun ers 27 and 28 enter into mandrels 34: at stations II and III and compress the pasted end folds previously made at station I against rubber cushions 41, Fig. 4, mounted in a bracket 42 on slide bar 43which is moved towards the mandrels by any suitable means not shown, as the plungers 27 and 28 enter the same. The adjustment of the plungers 27 and 28 is made in such a manner that, after the plungers reach the end of the mandrel, the slide 21 will move a small distance further, thereby causing a correflponding spring pressure to be exerted irough the plun ers on the end fold. Thus, to the dwell obtained by the vertical motion of crank pin 13 is added an additional dwell by the springs 32. In the diagram, Fig. 6, in which six successive positions of crank pin 13, arm 15, stud 16, link 20 and plunger 27 are indicated by reference numbers 13a, 13b, 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b, 20a, 20b, and 27a, 27b, respectively, the crank dwell from 13a to 13 is shown by D While the additional dwell rom 13d to 13 obtained through the spring is shown by D From this diagram it is also seen that during the horizontal movement of the crank pin from 13?) to 13d, the plungers travel through a greater horizontal distance, 27?) to 27d, than during the travel of the crank in the vertical direction, from 130 to 131) and 134 to 13f. the )lungcr movement in the latter case being 'rom 27d to 27f. The relative position of crank pin 13 and arm 15 being arranged as shown on this diagram, the minimum motion of the plungers occurs at the end of their stroke or at the moment of their dwell, while the maximum motion occurs at the middle of their stroke when they enter or leavethe mandrels.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a wrapping machine. the combination with a hollow mandrel adapted to have a pouch formed thereon, of a slide, a plunger yicldingly mounted on said slide, means for reciprocating said slide to move said plunger in and out of said mandrel, and a stop arranged to engage said plunger to stop itwith its forward end at the far end of said mandrcl before-said slide reaches the end of its iorward stroke to produce a dwell in the 1110- tion of said plunger, whereby the far end of said mandrel is closed during said dwell to permit the ends of a pouch to be folded thereover.

2. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a hollow mandrel adapted to have a pouch formed thereon, of a slide, a plunger yieldingly mounted on said slide, means for reciprocating said slide to movesaid plunger in and out of said mandrel, and a stop arranged to engage said plunger to stop it with its forward end at the far end of said mandrel before said slide reaches vthe'end of its forward stroke to produce a dwell in the motion of said plunger, whereby the far end of said mandrel is closed during said dwell to permit the ends of a pouch to be folded thereover, said means including a rotating shaft, a crank mounted on said shaft, a swlngable arm connected to said crank and pivoted at its upper end, and a link between the lower end of said rod and said slide.

3. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a hollow mandrel adapted to have a pouch formed thereon, of a slide, a plunger yieldingly mounted on said slide, a cushion adjacent one end of said mandrel, and means for reciprocating said slide to move said plunger into said mandrel to engage the folded end of a pouch on said mandrel and press it against said cushion before said slide reaches the end of its forward stroke, wherethereover, said means including a continuous ly rotating shaft, a crank mounted on sand shaft, a swingable arm pivoted at one end .and connected to said slide at its other end by a dwell is produced in the motion of said plunger and the folded end of the pouch is pressed against said cushion during said dwell.

4. In a wrapping machine, the combination with a hollow mandrel adapted to have a pouch formed thereon, of a slide, a plunger yieldingly mounted 011 said slide, a cushion adjacent one end ofsaid mandrel, and means for reciprocating said slide to move said.

plunger into said mandrel to engage the fold ed end of a pouch on said mandrel and press it against said cushion before said slide reaches the end of its forward stroke, whereby a dwell is produced in the motion of said plunger and the folded end of the pouch is pressed against said cushion during said dwell, said means includin a rotating shaft, a crank mounted on said s aft, a swlngable arm connected to said pin and ivoted at its upper end, and a link between t e lower end of said rod and said slide.

5. In a wrapping machine, the combination with an intermittently rotating turret,

' of a plurality of hollow mandrels on said turret, a slide arranged adjacent one station of said turret, a plunger mounted on said slide, and means for reciprocating said slide to move said plunger in and out of the mandrel at said station of the turret with a dwell in its motion at the far end of said mandrel whereby said end is closed during said dwell 

